If a driver is involved in a collision in Chicago, the laws require that motorist to remain at the scene to provide relevant information or until cleared by police officers. Yet despite this, many drivers who find themselves in a crash choose to flee the scene, disregarding the laws and potentially endangering the safety of victims who were hurt in a crash.
The phenomenon of hit-and-run accidents does not extend only to collisions between cars, though, as an increasing number of accidents involving pedestrians involve drivers who flee. The Chicago Tribune analyzed data from accidents involving walkers in a wide expanse of the city between 2005 and 2009 and concluded that one-third of those crashes involved a hit-and-run motorist.
If one of out of every three accident victims faces the fact that the driver who hit them left the scene, it is reasonable to wonder what legal relief may exist to those victims. Often, the city and state of the crash will be important to a victim’s overall rights as the laws protecting the injured can vary from one locale to another.
If you were hurt in an Illinois crash where an at-fault driver fled the scene, you may have the right to seek compensation for your damages. If the police or local authorities later identify the fleeing driver, you may be able to make a claim against that motorist, the owner of the vehicle, or any insurance that applies to the driver or the owner. But even in the event that a responsible driver is never found, relief can still be possible through a means known as an uninsured motorist claim, a type of insurance action that becomes possible following hit-and-run accidents. Your own insurance company will step into the shoes of an at-fault driver, even if she is never identified, to provide you with relief for your losses.
Regardless of whether you have a claim against a driver or your own insurance company, you may be entitled to payment for everything you suffered from your pedestrian accident, including medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, permanency of injuries, and loss of a normal life. As the facts of any incident will determine your possible relief, it is a good idea to speak with a Chicago personal injury attorney if you have been the victim of a traffic accident or if someone you love was killed in an accident.
The legal team at Abels & Annes, P.C. only represents injury victims and never represents insurance companies. If you were involved in a crash, we will offer you a case consultation without cost or obligation when you call us toll free at (855) 529-2442 or locally at (312) 924-7575, and to ensure you get the answers when you need them, we have a licensed lawyer standing by 24 hours a day, seven days a week to take your call.
An accident can have a wide reaching impact and can affect not only the person involved but that victim’s family members and friends. If tragedy has altered your life or if you were a victim of a pedestrian hit-and-run accident, call Abels & Annes, P.C. now and let us help you.
Prior Blog Entry:
Construction’s “Fatal Four” are Claiming Chicago Lives, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published January 29, 2016.